“A New Mexico jury determined Tuesday (March 24, 2026) that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms.”

“The landmark decision comes after a nearly seven-week trial, and as jurors in a federal court in California have been sequestered in deliberations for more than a week about whether Meta and YouTube should be liable in a similar case.”

“New Mexico jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta prioritized profits over safety, and violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act.”

“Jurors found there were thousands of violations, each counting separately toward a penalty of $375 million. That’s less than one-fifth of what prosecutors were seeking.”

“Meta is valued at about $1.5 trillion and the company’s stock was up 5% in early after-hours trading following the verdict, a signal that shareholders were shrugging off the news.”

“Juror Linda Payton, 38, said the jury reached a compromise on the estimated number of teenagers affected by Meta’s platforms, while opting for the maximum penalty per violation.”

“The social media conglomerate won’t be forced to change its practices right away. It will be up to a judge — not a jury — to determine whether Meta’s social media platforms created a public nuisance and whether the company should pay for public programs to address the harms. That second phase of the trial will happen in May.”

“New Mexico’s case was among the first to reach trial in a wave of litigation involving social media platforms and their impacts on children.”

“More than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming it’s contributing to a mental health crisis among young people by deliberately designing Instagram and Facebook features that are addictive.”

“New Mexico’s case relied on an undercover investigation where agents created social media accounts posing as children to document sexual solicitations and Meta’s response.”

“The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, also said Meta hasn’t fully disclosed or addressed the dangers of social media addiction.”

“Tech companies have been protected from liability for content posted on their social media platforms under Section 230, a 30-year-old provision of the U.S. Communications Decency Act, as well as a First Amendment shield.”

“Jurors also considered Meta’s failure to enforce its ban on users under 13, the role of its algorithms in prioritizing sensational or harmful content, and the prevalence of social media content about teen suicide.”

“Published - March 25, 2026 06:15 am IST”

“The New Mexico trial examined a raft of Meta’s internal correspondence and reports related to child safety. Jurors also heard testimony from Meta executives, platform engineers, whistleblowers who left the company, psychiatric experts and tech safety consultants.”

“In reaching a verdict, the jury considered whether social media users were misled by specific statements about platform safety by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Meta global head of safety Antigone Davis.”

“New Mexico prosecutors say Meta still should be responsible for its role in pushing out that content through complex algorithms that proliferate material that is harmful for children.”

“The jury also heard testimony from local public school educators who struggled with disruptions linked to social media, including sextortion schemes targeting children.”